Millville celebrates Fourth with parade, festival, fireworks

MILLVILLE — Last weekend the Millville Twelve and Under girls softball team took the laurels as regional champs. Tomorrow, they host the state championship tournament opener.

In
between, the girls marched proudly in the city's annual Fourth of July
parade. Singing fight songs and waving flags, the young champions
exemplified the fruits of the American dream, now entering its 237th
year.

All up and down High Street local men, women and children
congregated for the start of a day-long celebration of our nation's
independence.

Just up the street in the parade staging area, Jim
Boughter and his wife Gale prepared to take their cherry-red 1934 Packard for
a slow cruise along the parade route.

The Millville High School Marching Band provided a smart cadence for the city's Fourth of July paradeStaff Photo by Phillip Tomlinson/The South Jersey Times

"Its a pre-World War II luxury car," Jim explained proudly, while his wife snapped pictures. "I've owned it for 22 years now."

Members of the New Jersey MotorSports Park's Green Flag committee, the
Boughters were not the only auto enthusiasts participating.

"We've
been in this parade since long before the race track was built," said
Donald Fauerbach, corporate officer of the park. With him, the radiant Miss New Jersey MotorSports Park Jessica Schaper prepared to take her place atop a racing car.

Of course, no celebration of the American legacy would be complete without some politicking, especially in an election year.

"It's
a lot of fun, and I get to meet a lot of people quickly," said New Jersey Senate candidate Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt, a Republican seeking office from the First Legislative District, who was out in an official
capacity along with her children Lauren and Conrad, shaking hands and
greeting residents whom she hopes will soon be her constituents.

"This is a
wonderful celebration by true Americans here in the city of Millville,"
said Cumberland County Surrogate Doug Rainear, a Democrat who seeks reelection in the fall.

The
parade ended at the American Legion hall on Buck and Mulberry. Down the
hill and along the riverbank, vendors set up for the day's events, and crews
assembled a stage for live music by the Sherry Lynn Band and Arsenal.

Indepedence Day activities
in the city also included pie- and watermelon-eating contests, paddle boats, face
painting and, of course, a fireworks finale at 9:15 p.m.